Improvement in washing-machines



'2 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. STERNBERGER.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Eaten ted June12,18 77f N-PHERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHEI, WASHINGTON I] C V ZSheetsSheet 2,1 L, STERNBERGER,

WASHING-MACHAI,NE.Y 4

Patented June 12,1877.

a- //(/////////////ll xxxmw f UNITED STATESPATENT Orrron,

LEOPOLD STERNBERGER, oF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT m WASQHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 192,07. dated June 12, 1877f application tiled March 19, 1877.

To all whom it may concerm. Be it known that I, 'LEQPOLD STERNBER- GER, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have in vented anew and useful Improvement in Washing-Machines, of which the following is; I a specification:

This invention consists of certain improve ments, fully described hereinafter, in washing machines, such as are used in factories and are run by power. v S i In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1,: Sheet 1, is a view of one end of the-machine;

Fig. 2, a front view of the same; Fig. 3;

Sheet 2, a view of the end of the machine op-I posite to that shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 4, a ver-, tical section of part of the machine; and Figs.

' 5, 6, 7,8, and 9, detached views, illustrating the construction of different parts of thema chine.

not distort the saidend.

Bolted or otherwise secured to this end of the cylinder is a cog-wheel, d, which gears into a pinion, 01, carried by the driving-shaft c, the latter having a fast pulley, D, and loose pulley, D.

To a post, 0, ishung a lever, E, which carries at one end belt-shifting armsE, and is connected atthe opposite end to one end of a bar, F, carried by posts e e, and provided with a suitablehandle.

A stud on the bar F is connected to the long arm of a weighted bell-crank lever, G, .by means of a cord, f, passing over a pulley, f. The leyerG;is hung to the frame B, and its short arm is connected to one end of a strap or band,;g,the .latter. being adapted to the periphery of awheehgl, on the shaft B, and

'being connected at its opposite end to some fixedobject-in the present instance to the fulcrumpin of the lever-the whole thus constituting the ordinary frictionbrake.

It will beseen that by thus connecting the bar which controls the belt-shifter with the friction-brake the rotation of the vessel A will be arrested the instant the belt is shifted from the fast to the loose pulley.-

In the upper edge of the bar F are formed a number of ratchet-teeth, to which is adapted a pawl, h, hung to one of the posts 0, the

pawl serving to retain the bar in the position shown in Fig. 2, but permitting the same to the present instance, into four compartments,

byfmeans of four slatted partitions, G, (see dotted lines in Fig. 3,)w-hich extend from end to end of the vessel, and from the staves to the central shaft B, the corners of which are cut off, as shown in Fig. .8,so as to aiford a firm bearing for the inner ends of theslattecl partitions. v v y 7 The partitions are retained on the shaft by means of four, blocks,'z',t" and j j, secured to the shaft, as in Fig. 8, the blocks j j{ being readily detachable, and when detached per Knitting the removal of all the partitions without disturbing the blocks M. These. blocks also serve to cover the metal shaft'B, and prevent the Water or articles of clothing from coming in contact with v I The outer end of eachof the partitions G is adapted to a groove in ,a -.strip, m, which tits into a recess in one of the staves of which the body of the vessel is. composed. (See Figs. 6

and 7.)

The object of this arrangement is to permit the removal of any or all of the partitions G,

when necessary, withoutdisturbing the staves,

such removal: being accomplished by withdrawing the strip m so asgto release thfiQuter ends of the slats tbrming the partition, which, upon being released at their'inner ends, can be readily withdrawn. 2'

- Theendof the. vessel opposite that shown in Fig. l is represented in Fig. 3, and consists of a number of trianugular pieces, 0, similar to those which constitute the other end, four of these pieces, however, being provided with openings through which access can be had to the four compartments of the vessel. These openings are furnished with doors I, which may be simply hinged and secured by turnbuckles, as shown in the upper portion of Fig. 3, but which I prefer to adapt at the inner and outer edges to curved guides an, the latter permitting the doors to be moved around so as to uncover the openings, and spring-bolts It being employed to secure the doors when in either an open or closed condition.

The pieces 0, which form this end of the vessel A, do not extend to the central shaft, but are arranged to turn on a fixed ring, J, secured to or forming part of a trough, M, projecting from the bearing Bl, while the end of the shaft B of the vessel passes through, and turns in theupper half of this fixed ring J, as well as in the bearing B.

The lower half of the ring J is cut away, thus forming a recess, t, which, as the vessel A revolves, communicates alternately with the different compartments of the same, so that soap or a soapy solution introduced into the trough M will pass into the interior of the vessel without splashing or waste.

Water may also be introduced into the interior of the vessel, when desired, through a pipe, P, Figs. 4 and 9.

In the body of the vessel A are four openings, 12, each covered with a screen of wirecloth, perforated plate, or similar material, and each communicating with one of the compartments into which the interior of the vessel is separated, and to guides on the body of the vessel. Adjacent to these openings are adapted sliding valves T, which, as the vessel revolves in the direction of the arrow, are opened or closed, or maintained in either of these conditions in accordance with the position of cams w, carried by a bar, y, adapted to slots in the posts 6 e, and arranged to act on anti-friction rollers carried by studs 2) on the valves.

When these cams are in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 2, the valves will remain closed, but if the cams are moved to the position shown by dotted lines, the valves will b opened as the vessel revolves.

In the present instance the valves are not nrrranged in line, and two cams are necessary to operate them, but when all the valves are in line one cam will be sufficient, and in order to prevent accidents, should the vessel A be rotated in the wrong direction, the upper ends of the cams may be inclined, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, instead of being flat, as shown by full lines.

When the valves T are opened, water in the compartments will escape through the openings p when the latter are below the horizontal axis of the machine, so as to be below the level of the water in the compartments, a ready means being thus afforded of draining off the dirty water "after the material in the machine has been washed, and of rinsing the material by allowing fresh water to enter the compartments through the pipe P and pass from the same throughthe openings p.

The above-described machine is of large size, and is intended, principally, for use in factories where large quantities of material have to be washed.

The cylinder should be revolved at a comparatively low rate of speed, and the compartments should only be partially filled with material, so that as each compartment passes above the center the mass which it contains will fall upon the slatted partition in advance, and thus be subjected to a beating action, which is the most effectual in causing a thorough cleansing.

An important feature, of the invention is the use, in connection with the belt-shifter, of a friction-brake, because it is essential that the rotation of the vessel A should be stopped at the instant the belt is shifted, and any further movement of the vessel prevented, in order that the compartment from which the material has to be removed will be retained in an accessible position.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of the vessel A, its shaft B, and friction-brake, and the shaft cand its fast and loose pulleys D and D, with the beltshifting lever E and friction-brake lever Gr, all substantially as described.

2. The combination of the bar F with the weighted brake-lever Gr, strap f, and pulley f, as set forth.

3. The combination of the bar F, its ratchet-teeth, and the pawl h with the weighted brake-lever G, operated by the bar F, as' de- .scribed.

4. The combination of the vessel A, its shaft B, and partitions G with sheathing and retaining strips i 1 and j j, as described.

5. The combination of the shaft B and partitions G with the strips 71 13 and jj', the latter being secured to the shaft so as to be readily detachable, as set forth.

6; The combination of the partitions G with thedetachable strips m, as specified.

7. The body of the vessel, consisting of staves a combined with ends composed of tri-' angular strips, the latter having the grain of the wood running radially from the center to the periphery of the vessel, as set forth.

8. The combination of the end of the vessel and its curved guides at n with the sliding doors I, as described.

9. The combination of the vessel A, having in its periphery openings covered with screens, with sliding valves T.

10. The combination of the vessel and its 11. The combination of the end of the ves- I name to this specification in the presence of sei A with the stationary ring J, having a retwo subscribing Witnesses.

cessor opening, t, as and for the purpose set LEOPOLD STERNBERGE-R forth. c

' 12. The combination of the ring J with the Witnesses: trough M, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my HERMANN MOESSNEB, HARRY SMITH. 

